A few weeks ago we called for applications for a sales rep role that was open at Sesi Technologies. We received a couple dozen CVs and applications and as usual, there was no shortage of poorly written applications.

After reviewing all the applications, here are the top CV mistakes many of the applicants made. You should definitely avoid these CV mistakes if you really want the job.

1. Telling Lies on Your CV

One applicant in an attempt to tailor their CV to the role went too far and just plainly lied about their roles and experience. They inflated their years of experience and lied about their role and job description in the organizations they worked for. How did we find out? We checked them out on LinkedIn!

Needless to say, they didn’t make it to the interview stage. If they can tell lies just to get an interview, there’s no telling what they will do when they finally get the job. And dishonesty is not a culture you want to build in your company.

2. Not Making The Effort To Write A Good CV

We received a lot of very poorly written CVs by people who seemed only interested in blasting their CVs for any job application without paying attention to making the CV look great. We even had one person who had written notes and other random text at the bottom of their CV. It seemed like they wanted to take notes from a class and they wrote their notes on the same file that had their CV!

Sending Your CV for a job application is like going on a first date. You only get one chance at a good first impression. Because recruiters receive lots of applications for any available role, they have lots of options to choose from. Which means only the best applications get to the next stage.

Having a poor CV will most certainly guarantee that your application will be rejected. What’s the point of applying for a job anyway if you aren’t going to put in your best effort?

3. Poor Cover Letter or Poor Answers to Application Questions

At Sesi Technologies, instead of asking for a cover letter, we let prospective applicants answer some questions instead. eg “Why do you want to work with Sesi Technologies?” We consider the responses to the question in shortlisting applicants.

However, many applicants don’t realize this and don’t put any effort into writing a good cover letter or answering application questions well and this ends up affecting their chances of getting to the next stage.

Applying for job opportunities is an emotionally stressful endeavour. No one enjoys receiving rejection emails. If you are going to apply in the first place, you might as well put in a good application and ensure you have a great CV.

I have written an e-book that walks you through the steps of writing a good CV.

BONUS: Download my free E-book and learn how to write a great CV. Get it here >>

Additionally, I offer a CV writing and reviewing service that you can contact me about directly on WhatsApp if you are interested. 

Happy job hunting!